


Getting Married

by FlowerFly



Series: From Friends To Lovers [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Darcy Lewis, BAMF Darcy Lewis, BAMF Pepper Potts, Character Study, Dacy Being Darcy, Darcy Lewis is the fandom bicycle and I love it, Darcy Lewis-centric, Darcy and Tony getting married, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, IronTaser - Freeform, Lovers to Friends, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, POV Darcy Lewis, POV Pepper Potts, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Polyamory, Protective Tony Stark, Rare Pairings, Romance, Romantic Comedy, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Talking, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Weddings, mentions of BDSM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:38:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlowerFly/pseuds/FlowerFly
Summary: Tony marries Darcy for helping Pepper with her wedding stress.Some fluff and a lot of talking. Mostly Tony/Darcy.





	1. Pepper

It was raining behind the large glass windows. Pepper and Tony were in her office, sitting facing each other from different sides of her stylish glass desk. 

"So, this is okay?" Tony asked pointing the hologram with a lot of layers and numbers above the table. 

"Um, yeah. This is okay now. Thank you for coming down here and helping me sort it out." The managerial floor was three floors below Tony's lab. They were almost on top of the building. Tony used to spend as little time at anyone's office as possible, but now he was sitting like he wasn't going anywhere.

"And you?" He leaned forward to look at her.

"Um, what about me?" She didn't need his attention now, she had enough in her mind already. 

"Are you okay?" That sounded peculiarly soft and serious coming from Tony Stark.

"Sure. Yes, I am? Why wouldn't I be? I'm getting married in a week." She sounded tense, she knew it. He took her hands in his. 

"Second thoughts? You know you can cancel the wedding. " She closed her eyes and lowered her chin against her chest. "You don't have to marry him." She opened her eyes…"You can still run away with me." She rolled her eyes that very familiar way that was only for him and meant _you can't mean it but I kind of know you do_. 

"Tony, I'm going to marry Phil. Nothing's gonna change that." She stated just to make sure he was not joking about the runaway. She thought he was over her, but sometimes she couldn't be sure. "Please, don't cause any drama."

"Me, drama?" He pointed at himself. "I'm not! Why would I cause drama?" He took her hands in his again. "Pepper, you' re my best friend. I have only your best interest in mind." 

"I know, Tony. I'm just stressed about the wedding. It's nothing." He stood up, but not for leaving.

"No, you' re not." He walked around the desk and sat on the corner. "Don't lie to me! What's wrong?" 

"What?" She didn't want to tell him because... it was just so stupid. 

"I know you. When you are stressed, you're super fast and super focused. If you would be stressed about the wedding, you'd be going over and over the details, but you're not. So what's wrong?"

"Tony, it's nothing. Really, nothing serious."

"If it distracts my CEO, it's damn serious." Okay, she had to tell him, because otherwise, he would never let her be. 

"It's the media! After next weekend every gossip columnist is after me! I don't know how I can take it!" She burst out crying. "I'm marrying Phil because he's so kind, calm and a normal down-to-earth kind of guy who balances my crazy life. And I want to keep my private life private!" He took her in a tight embrace. "I know it's not my first rodeo and I should be able to handle it, and that's why I haven't said anything to anybody!But before this every time you've been with me in the flashlights, the real target of those hyenas. And now they will be after me!" She was shaking against his chest.

"Peppermint, calm down." He still used her old nickname on very special occasions. "I've got this. I'll distract the media so they'll have something else to write about!" 

"No, Tony! Please, don't do anything. Don't!" 

"Oh no, it's my life and I can do what I want with it! Besides this is the perfect plan! I'm so genius!" He had that maniac smile which she knew preceding sleepless nights in his workshop and usually something very explosive. And that he couldn't be stopped. "Please, don't do anything dangerous." "Me? Never! This is totally 100% safe plan." Somehow she wasn't convinced. "Oh, this is also my wedding gift for you, but you'll get the house, too."

"The house? Not the villa in California? Tony, that's too much!" It wasn't that she didn't love the place (and want it!), it had been love at first sight, but it was his own design… 

"Oh, it's a surprise, forget I said anything." He looked so innocent. Damn, Tony. "And don't worry about media anymore." He hurried out of the room. "I'll get it covered."


	2. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background for things to come.

The best thing about this _thing_ with Tony was, that it was fun. Fun like a laugh from the bottom of your belly (and below!). Sparkling lights and explosive glitter fun. Fun like tickling but an arousing way. 

It started after Darcy had _accidentally_ stumbled upon old porn videos, starring Tony Stark. There were a lot of them in the net from the time before Pepper Potts. He was delicious to watch, young and eager and loved the camera as much as fucking with his partners. Of course, Darcy became curious, wasn't there really any videos with the gorgeous strawberry CEO. The only way to find out was to watch them all.

Of course, he found out about her little hobby. He had to have some kind of intelligence system to monitor how people used the computers in his Tower! She knew, that he knew, from the way he looked at her when they accidentally met in the lab she was working with Jane. 

He didn't make a move on her. He just watched. She played innocent. She had no plans to go after a man who was in a relationship. At least, if not for a threesome, which would be an excellent idea. But life happened before she could put _that_ plan into action. 

The gossip of Tony and Pepper being on a break arrived the lab - accompanying with a rumor that Tony was heartbroken because Pepper was seeing somebody else.

Darcy just wanted to cheer him up. A _totally_ altruistic motive! 

She got her chance when she had to carry some stuff from Jane's lab to Tony's at a very late hour. He wasn't in the lab, but she didn't let it discourage her - on the contrary. It was perfect! She left the boxes on a table, checked where the camera was, took an extraordinary vibrant looking screwdriver from the side table and sat on his chair. 

She licked her lips shyly, then looked straight at the camera, smiled, and started her show with a slow striptease. It took seven minutes for Tony to come into the lab and three for them to start making out on his workbench. 

The second best thing was that it wasn't serious. Darcy wasn't stupid. She knew the name of the game. It was just sex. Or maybe some kind of friends with benefits. They were friends, right? At least Tony treated her like one, if not, sometimes, like his girlfriend. She didn't know what to think about it. They were so different levels in so many ways. 

They met in his lab, in Jane's lab when she was gone, in her home and finally in his luxurious apartment, too. He had asked her to spend a night there right in the beginning, but she had hesitated. 

Even though Pepper and Tony were on a break right now, they had been a legendary couple. She felt almost like a mistress and didn't like it. 

"What about Pepper?" she asked when they were lying on Tony's bed after sex. He had asked her to stay for the night ("My plane leaves early, but can stay as long as you want."). 

"What about her?" He sounded a little irritated, but she didn't let the subject drop. 

"What does she think of… me? of us?" She was the big boss, her ultimate boss as well. She needed to know. What if she was jealous or angry at her for coming into her territory (which Tony's bed probably still was) and made her life hell afterward. 

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's not her business who I share my bed with, but I don't see a single reason why she wouldn't like you. What comes to us, it's our business and nobody else has a say." She smiled a little and then he added: "Besides, she's got her own life." 

"So she really is seeing somebody? Who?" It was irritating that she didn't know. 

"It's not my secret to tell." 

"What, is it classified? Why?" He tried to laugh, but she saw the pained lines on his forehead. "Is it serious?" He avoided her gaze. 

"Maybe," he sighed. 

"You still love her?" It wasn't really a question. 

"Love… is such a multidimensional thing." He turned his head and kissed her lips. _Nice try, Tony_ , she thought kissing him back. 

"So, do you?" She smiled and poked his chest with her index finger. 

"Yeah, in some ways," he said and lifted her to sit around his waist. "But in others", he continued cupping her breasts and bending her upper body down over his face. "I'm totally over her," he whispered and kissed her again. 

Darcy stayed in his bed till the next afternoon. 

Three weeks later they both received individual invitations for the wedding of Phil Coulson and Pepper Potts.


	3. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some angst and then a proposal.

"You think you're such a player, good at hiding what's on your mind, but you aren't. I can see something's bothering you."

They were at Tony's place, half past midnight, on the grand sofa, their clothes on, eating Thai takeout. And since he was indeed eating the food, and not her, albeit looking at her _very_ keenly when she wasn't supposed to notice, it was easy to see something was bothering him.

"Is there something wrong with me?" 

"No, Darcy, no. No, you're perfect. I.. I just got to ask you something." 

"Sure, spill the beans," she let a bean spill between her tits (she was wearing a black tank top, _and_ a bra), watched his gaze following it and then lifted it with her chopstick into her mouth. Tony looked at her like he had forgotten everything. She grinned. "You were about to say something?" 

"Yeah… what would you think of being with me, like officially, in public?"

"You mean like going together to Pepper's wedding? Sure, I'd love to be your date there." It was time for them to come out as a couple in front of their friends. Just to show off, that yes, they could do that, too. Darcy didn't mind being just a lover, really, but Tony did that boyfriend thing in such an alluring way. He made her feel like they were just roles they could play, and have fun with or make fun of if they wanted to. Yeah, she kind of loved it. Just for fun of course. 

"That, too, yes. But I think the way that the press will really find out." They had been out on a date couple of times and every time Tony had avoided publicity and jammed all phone cameras around. It was easy to draw the conclusion that he didn't want to be seen with her. Yeah, she got it, he was so out of her league! But what was he talking about now, then? 

"If you're finally going to take me to the vacation in Europe, I'm gonna fuck you on the beach and don't care a zero how many paparazzi shoot my ass." She loved, that he loved when she talked dirty, and now he really, really lighted up. She took the carbon box of food off his hands and rolled to sit on his lap, forcing him to lie on his back and then she kissed him. 

"Hey, what happens in Europe, doesn't stay in Europe. What if press here finds out about you? And you know, people in general. Twitter is going to explode." 

"Yeah, so what?" That came out harsher than she had intended. "Are you ashamed of fucking a sloppy chick like me?" She wasn't going to lay her body issues on him, but _he_ was the one who provoked her! She was mostly okay with her curvy body and she loved showing it off, too. But she went to the gym with the Avengers and she wasn't like Natasha Romanov. And according to a very detailed study of Tony's old porn videos, he preferred flatter body type. Pepper was A something, and Darcy was DD. Who wouldn't feel a bit self-conscious time to time? 

"Oh Darcy, your curves are perfect. "He laid his hands on them like he really meant it. "And I'm not ashamed of being seen with you!" He didn't add _you silly one_ but said it so loving way that she almost couldn't take it, and felt a little stupid. She _totally_ didn't blush when he caressed her hair. She touched his chest and opened slowly the upper buttons of his shirt. But she wasn't able to distract him from his thoughts. He took her hands in his and guided them both into a sitting position. "Darcy, it's not about me, it's about you and your freedom." It was weird to see him so serious. 

"What do you mean?"

"When you are outed being together with me, you can never be in public places without people taking pictures of you… or worse. You need a bodyguard wherever you go." 

"Oh, and has that kept you from doing something?" She nudged him, tried to push him under her again. 

"No. But I never had a choice to live any other way." He held her sitting next to him. "I was born in this cage of wealth and fame," he rolled his eyes and looked around, "not that I really mind." She loved his smile, even the one with a dark edge "But I've been a target for murder attempts more times than you know." She wanted to kiss his scary thoughts away. 

She leaned her forehead on his and lifted her arms around his shoulders. "Tony, I've been thinking about this." She had. A lot. "I'm not afraid. Really, I'm not." She was, a little, but she wanted to do it anyway. "I'd like to be your girlfriend if you want me to." Now _she_ had to say _that_ word aloud. Was it fair? Like she was begging or something! Which she _totally_ wasn't! She was _totally_ fine with being a lover if he didn't want anything else.

"Oh Darcy," he almost laughed and hugged her. She felt his body, finally, relieved and they shared a long and longing french kiss. "Wait a minute," he said smiling that sparkling smile with laughter in his eyes, which Darcy had learned to precede some fascinating, crazy idea. 

He knelt on the floor in front of her, took a small black box from his pocket, opened it showing a golden ring with red and yellow stones, and asked with an extraordinary charming grin: "Darcy Lewis, do you marry me?" 

Darcy burst into laughter. She laughed tears in her eyes and fell down from the sofa. Of course, her husband-to-be caught her.


	4. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy gives her answer.

Darcy was laughing so hard her chest was aching. She had thought something was seriously wrong! She was sitting next to Tony on the floor, leaning on the sofa.

"Oh really? Do you have to get married, because Pepper is getting married?" That was so stupid, it was hilarious! She was sure one day she would get an orgasm just by laughing so hard.

"Well, she is not fond of the media attention, so I thought I could offer something better for them to write about." 

"Tha-that's" she was choking with laughter "even crazier reason! You mean we should get married for trolling the media?"

He grinned and nodded. "It doesn't sound that bad, does it?"

Her grin was even wider. "Oh, Tony, we are totally gonna do that!" She took the ring from his hand and put it on her finger. She looked at her hand. "Nice, but not flashy enough. I'm a spoiled bride of a billionaire, I want a bigger one with flashing lights for the wedding!" Tony looked at her mesmerized and united his fingers with hers. He kissed her and she used all her willpower for _not_ saying _I love you Tony Stark_ because she had said too much that kind of crap lately and she didn't want him to think she was serious. She wasn't, well, except with that trolling thing. Since trolling was fun and _absolutely not_ serious.

He carried her into the bedroom.


	5. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has a hangover, but hey, #IMarriedIronMan

Darcy felt her mouth dry, her feet sore and had a major headache coming. As if after partying hard in college, but worse. She didn't want to open her eyes. 

Until she snapped them open. Gosh, she got married last night! It was the most awesome wedding ever! She started to remember… 

She wasn't sure what had been the best part of last night's celebration. Was it the ceremony under a huge waterfall in Las Vegas? Of course, they didn't stand under the water, but they went swimming in a fountain later. Or was it the cake with fireworks? Tony had tested it for hours in his lab, poor Dummy who had to clean it all. 

Maybe the best part was, that they were celebrating with their best friends: Jane (with Thor who surely knew how to party), Happy and Rhodey from Tony's side and Natasha as Darcy's other bridesmaid. And she had a new large ring with high tech led lights! It matched perfectly with her golden wedding dress. And her sparkling shoes with heels Pepper Potts would wear. She hated heels, why had she chosen them? (She knew why.) She was sure she had lost one shoe at some point. Just like Cinderella, but she already got her prince! 

Oh, why had she drunk so many those sparkling drinks? Of course, she had to try every color. Tony had laughed at her! They had gone dancing afterward.

And what else had happened? Happy had filmed everything, so she didn't have to remember. And she had taken so many pictures! She didn't need to check her phone, she remembered the first picture showing their joined hands on her cleavage, a good amount of her curves, both rings (made of gold-titanium alloy, hers with lights on) and a very recognizable goatee on her shoulder. With hashtags like #IMarriedIronMan and #DDStark, her Instagram should be on fire. And the party and the pictures had just gone better from that. Oh, if she _should_ find her phone. Maybe later. 

Oh, the best thing, the _absolutely_ most marvelous thing had been the flight. Tony had carried her through the air in his Iron Man suit from Las Vegas to… here? To the balcony of some fancy hotel. She wasn't sure where she was. Somewhere in a luxurious suite bedroom. The flight had taken some time. West coast? 

Oh shit, when they had landed on the balcony she had felt so awful. She had thrown up over her new husband! What a shame! Like she couldn't handle some alcohol and flying? As if he hadn't been drinking too! And he had been the one who had done all the flying. And he had been so caring and worried about _her_ well-being. 

She must have blacked out soon after landing. Which meant she had not had sex as a married woman yet! She turned around on the large bed. That Tony wasn't with her wasn't new to her. She had learned quickly that the rumors about Tony's chronic insomnia were true. The man slept three or four hours at night and took some naps around the day. _Polyphasic sleep_ , he said. And if he didn't sleep, he got bored and rarely stayed in bed. So now she had to find her polyphasic husband. But first, she had to get up and maybe get something to drink. 

After some time Tony came in, wearing his favorite jeans and no shirt. He was carrying a glass of water in one hand, a glass of some green stuff in other and a phone against his ear. 

"What do you mean 'is it for real'? _Of course,_ it's for real." He talked on the phone and gave her the glass of water. It had a cute slice of lemon in it. He sat next to her and formulated the word MEDIA silently with his lips. "I married her because I love her…" Tony caressed her curve, "sense of humor." He let his free hand wander around her silk-clad body (she didn't remember putting on the short golden pajamas). "Yes, we got a prenup." He rolled his eyes at that. Darcy drank half of the glass. Oh, her lovely, thoughtful husband, who had made her a drink of water, lemon and a bit of sugar, too. "Mrs. Stark is right here. Do you want to talk to her?" Darcy reached for the phone. 

"Absolutely!" said a thrilled female voice Darcy didn't know. 

"Darcy Stark," she said proud and excited about her new name. It was Darcy Lewis-Stark, officially, but she used Stark when being with Tony and Lewis at work. Married or not, she loved her independence. 

"This is Christine Everhart…" Darcy was so excited abbot the first media call that she missed which magazine she was writing. "Congratulations on the wedding, Mrs. Stark." 

"Thank you." 

"Tony and I are friends from a way back," the journalist chirped. "Can I call you Darcy?" She sounded fake as ever. 

"Sure." Suddenly Darcy wasn't at all enthusiastic about this trolling thing anymore. 

"How do you feel, Darcy, about marrying Tony?" Darcy didn't know why but she didn't like her using his first name. 

"I feel great. Absolutely fantastic." It was such a cliché, but she wasn't at her best. Though she felt a little better now after drinking something. 

"How did you end up marrying him?" _None of your business. Go to hell, bitch!_

"He asked me to." She could play this simple. Very simple.

"And what did you say?"

"I said 'yes'." Simple to the most.

"Why?" 

Wanna play a cliché bingo? "Because I love him." She looked at his eyes and petted his hair when she said that. Still, it was just for the media. Plausible deniability! 

"How did you meet Tony?" Darcy liked her voice even less. 

"We met through common friends in a party." Which was true. Tony had had a party for Avengers and Thor had brought Jane and Darcy. 

"Was he with Pepper Potts when you met?" Darcy saw Tony's eyes narrowing. What should she say? 

"Oh, you said Pepper Potts, unfortunately, I can't comment the issue." Yes, Tony and Pepper had been together when Tony and Darcy had met the first time. But nothing had happened back then! 

"Oh, why can't you?" 

"Lemme tell you why." She remembered who Christine Everhart was and suddenly she was full of energy! "Because I know what you're going to write. You want your catfight between me and Pepper. And that age-old story in which a man replaces an older woman with a younger one. Such a boring, sexist story! But that's not true. Pepper has nothing to do with me and Tony! And no-one was cheated when we started to be together!" That came out loud. And she wasn't finished. "But that's not so juicy story, isn't it? You wanna sell magazines with envy, hatred and other negative emotions. Urge women against each other. Why?" Well, Darcy kind of knew why, because they sold - and kept patriarchy alive and well. "When you could do stories about badass women helping each other." She was sure they would sell better! 

"Oh, Darcy, I just wanna know what happened. I wanna tell the truth."

"The truth? Gimme a break! After all that shit you've written about Pepper. Do you have some kind of 'how to how to trump other women's career and make their lives hell' manual?" 

Tony took the phone from her and ended the call. She looked angry (she wasn't for him but for _her_ ), but he drew her close and kissed her.


	6. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I thought you were from SHIELD."

Tony was taking his 20 minutes power nap using Darcy as a pillow. Darcy was playing with her phone. She checked the news.

"Fireworks in a cake, swimming in a fountain  
TONY STARK MARRIED IN LAS VEGAS"

Yay, their plan was working. The pictures were taken by some bystander but they were good anyway.

"An office romance? TONY STARK MARRIED A LAB ASSISTANT"

Well, sort of. Her name and age were mentioned in the story.

"Tony Stark,45, married Darcy, 24."

An age difference of 21 years, so what?

"Taboo for the Stark couple? Darcy Stark, 24: I can't talk about Pepper Potts" _Damn you,_ Christine Everhart!

Her Instagram had gone wild. She took a couple of more pictures, one with Tony's head on her belly, cropped to show only her Iron Man themed navel jewel next to his ear. The other showing the ring Tony had proposed her with, in her finger. 

Pepper Potts had sent her congratulations and an invitation to StarkNetPrivate. They chatted for awhile.  
_Don't mind about Christine Everhart._  
**Oh, you should have heard when I told her straight out what I thought about her writings about you.**  
_I can imagine. Please, don't make more enemies than it is necessary._  
**What? I'm not going to stand aside when somebody tries to hurt people around me!**  
_How about reviewing your media strategy together, when you return?_

Her parents had tried to call her several times. She loved her parents, especially when they didn't interfere her life too much. But she had to call her mom. "Yes, he is _the_ Tony Stark." "Three months or so." "It's kind of a long story why, but… mum, I'm _in love_." "Yes, I'm taking this seriously." "No, you can't talk to him now, he's asleep." "Yes, we'll come to see you." "Bye, mom." Done. 

When had she started to _take this seriously_? 

The first time had been during their second week together when she had realized he treated her precious boobs like they deserved. He worshipped them like they were living beings with their own likes and needs. No man had understood that before. When she had come hard him fucking her between her tits, she had thought _I must keep him._

And the last time, when they were flying through the night, he held her next to him, safely in the air. She felt the cool metal and cold night air. She was drunk, oh so drunk as ever and she knew it was crazy and _theoretically_ dangerous. But she was so happy and she loved him because he loved risks and doing crazy things with her. Then, she couldn't avoid the conclusion, _she wanted this to last_. 

The green drink was still on her nightstand. It smelled… green, but she stirred it and took a long sip. It tasted terrible! The most horrible drink she had ever tasted! She coughed with tears in her eyes. Her body jerked so much that Tony woke up. 

"What is this?" She sound angrier than she was. It was, actually, quite hilarious. 

"A chlorophyll smoothie made of wheatgrass, kiwi, cucumber, avocado, leek, and celery. " He took it and drank the rest. "I found the recipe when I had palladium poisoning. It's very effective for hangovers, too." 

"You had... what?"

"Oh, don't worry. Everything is fine now." He drank the rest of the drink, kissed her with that taste of celery, and grinned that teasing way she loved. "But there's so much you don't know about me." 

She looked at the fading scars on her husband's chest. Tony had told they didn't hurt anymore, but his body tensed when she touched them. She had asked about them once. "Oh, I've had a couple of surgeries." She knew there was a lot behind that statement, but didn't want to press. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find out more. 

"There's so much you don't know about me either." Of course, she had to get even.

"Oh, I know a lot about you." He had that fake innocent look. "I know your bank account, I know in detail where you have been and who you have met during the first month we started to fuck. And I've read your SHIELD file." 

"What?" Darcy looked shocked. Like maybe, just _maybe_ those rumors about Tony's possessiveness and lack of respecting people's boundaries were true. Or maybe, just _maybe_ it wasn't wise to marry someone you barely knew (though she knew him well, certain parts of him anyway). But he had always respected her boundaries --- AT LEAST HE HAD LET HER THINK SO! Damn liar! 

"Darcy, please. Listen." He touched her arm softly and looked serious, pained. "I thought you were from SHIELD. You could have been." 

"I was …. what? SHIELD? Why?" That was a weird. And could she trust him? Could she ever trust him again? On the other hand, taking risks made life worth living! What was the fun of doing things if you knew the outcome from the beginning? 

"Yeah, why not? They had sent me Black Widow as a personal assistant before. I thought you were some kind of…"

"Some kind of what?" She was still processing information about Black Widow spying on Tony. It sound scary. On the other hand, sometimes she thought Natasha spied on her, too. And she wasn't scary but a very kind and easy going person, regardless of the rumors about what she had done and what she still did for work. 

"…a gesture of goodwill." She didn't get it and she hated it. 

"What? Because Phil had taken Pepper? Do you think you can trade women like… things? You'll take this, I'll take that?" That was the worst thing he had heard from him, well, after that spying thing. 

"Let me explain." He looked uncharacteristically unease. "I had just terminated my SHIELD contract, because.. well…"

"Because you found out that Pepper had moved in with Phil?" She helped. 

"Because we had some major disagreements." _Really?_ "Alright, because of her. And because I had seen right from the beginning that _the Agent_ was after her, standing there pretending to be just a friend, but waiting for her to choose him." He relaxed a bit. "But he didn't come between me and Pep, nobody could even if they had wanted to. We went on a break for reasons that had nothing to do with anybody else." He sound sad and adamant, like always when talking abbot Pepper. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know about those reasons. Maybe then, when he was ready to tell. "And then two days later you were there, naked, in my workshop." 

"So?" She rolled her eyes.

"So I thought Phil had sent you to cheer me up and retrieve the contract. Which I did, later, by the way."

"You think a girl can't have needs of her own? That there must be some dude and soothing The Male Ego behind everything?" He looked far too amused considering how angry she felt. 

"But you were so good, so determinant, so… prepared. You knew exactly what you were doing." _Did he just accuse her of being too good in bed?_

"So? Yeah! You're not the only one who can do some intelligence!" He looked like he didn't know. "Oh, don't play innocent. You knew I was watching your old porn videos!"

"Were you? Good for you." The way he said that made her inner thigs purr. Maybe she was into praise kink, too. "But I didn't know. How could I have known?" Right, the all-seeing AI existed only in the tower and some related devices, but she had not watched them at work. And she didn't live in the Tower. 

"But you looked at me like you knew. And you flirted with me all the time." 

" _You_ flirted with _me_." 

"You flirted with me _first_." She climbed into his lap and pushed him down. He lied on his back, looking satisfied. 

"Yeah, I probably did." 

"Because I was so hot wearing my ratty jeans and an oversized pullover?" He smiled like he had just figured out something.

"You really don't know, do you?" 

"Don't know what?" She _hated_ that he looked like he knew something she didn't. Like she was stupid or something!

"Why I love you?" She sat on him, tilted her head and tried to look totally unfazed like he hadn't just said something significant. 

"Oh, why?" It was hard to sound firm and a little bit irritated, but she didn't want to give up that easily.

"Stay with me a decade or two, maybe I'll tell you." Oh, he smiled that _super_ irritating smile. She took a pillow, lifted it high on her head (he tried to look at the pillow but her gaze stayed with her boobs instead), and hit him with it. He was genuinely surprised. _Like where did that pillow come from?_ She couldn't stop laughing. When he recovered from the act, he took a firm hold of her upper arms and lifted her down. 

"You wanna know why I love you?" They were lying face to face. He looked _serious_. "Because you're so bossy. Small, cute, and bossy. You're the bossiest woman I know. And super hot." He said it like it was a fabulous thing. And it was quite a compliment, considering he had been together with Pepper Potts, who was also bossy and _super hot_. "You're always poking others, physically or metaphorically." He drew her close. "And that's why I fell in love with you almost at first sight." 

"I'm not poking others." She was poking her with both of her index fingers. "And I'm not bossy." She was climbing on him again, without thinking. She was still processing the information that Tony had been interested in her long time and hadn't done anything about it. She had kind of known it, but really. Did this mean, he could _act faithfully?_ She leaned her head against his elbow and said with a small voice. "I'm an obedient wife who wants nothing but serve her husband." 

Her husband held her wrists tight, which sent a signal to her clit and nipples. "You're the brattiest sub I've ever met but I love you for that, too." He turned her around, under him. "And you hit me with a pillow and I'm gonna punish you for that." He took luxurious paddled handcuffs from the other nightstand. "What are you laughing? Are you laughing at me, wife?" Aww, that hot fake angry tone tickled her belly. 

"I just can't wait to see Phil's face when I tell him you thought I was from SHIELD because I'm so good in bed."


	7. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry."  
> "Don't be."
> 
> And then some telepathy.

Pepper was standing in the middle of the dressing room. Natasha Romanov was helping her with her dress, soft white one with a lot of fine lace. Maria Hill held her flowers. 

"So, how was the wedding?" Pepper sound casual, but the agents read the silent subtext. _I wasn't invited._

"Flashy, noisy, colorful, extravagant," Natasha started, "didn't you see the pictures?"

"Some of them. I like the one under the fountain." she laughed a little, the eye roll came out as a habit and lead to a genuine smile. "I'm glad Tony had the Las Vegas wedding he had always wanted."

"I'm sorry you weren't invited," Maria had always been the closer one. 

Pepper turned towards her. "It's okay. It truly is." She continued, turning around and looking herself at the mirrors. "We can be friends without a need to share everything. Besides, I love that Tony keeps some limits towards me, that it's not always my responsibility to formulate the boundaries of our relationship. That's so liberating!"

"They are not here", Natasha said, seeing the hall from the door. "And neither is Bruce."

"Well, I can marry without my ex-boyfriends being present." It had been a good _ménage à trois_ , but it was over now. She straightened the front of her dress. "Let's not keep my husband waiting." Natasha snapped a picture of the bride's wide smile. 

Pepper Potts married Phil Coulson in front of 300 friends. Tony and Darcy joined the party in the middle of Pepper's wow to Phil. 

Phil had assigned Natasha and Clint to look after Tony and keep him from causing trouble, but he was using his most charming demeanor. He danced with Jane, Natasha, Maria, Steve ("Captain America dances with Iron Man"- those pictures were going to be even bigger hit than Tony's new wife) and of course Darcy. He even talked with Phil politely, without trying even discreetly to discreetly irritate him. But he didn't talk to Pepper. Not until Darcy asked Phil to dance with her. 

Tony brought Pepper a class of champagne and lead her aside where they were seen from the dance floor but couldn't be heard.

"Cheers for happy marriages." She could see through his act. He was more serious and less drunk as he wanted to appear. 

"Cheers," she echoed. 

"I know you married him only for not coming back to me." She gave him the eye roll. The one that was meant only for him.

"Oh Tony, everything in this world isn't about you." He gave her a knowing, charming look. "I married a calm and _reliable_ man, who is also as kind and intelligent as I want my partners to be." A diplomatic answer, with just a small thorn in it.

"Congratulations on finding him," Tony didn't bother masking the sarcasm. He had said Phil was after her from the first time they had met. "And I married a woman who loves me the way I am." 

She didn't remember he had ever criticized her before. His ways of showing disagreement used to be more practical passive-aggressive resistance, actions that made her life difficult and abled him to go things his way. 

"I'm happy for you." She was, really. What else could she say? Maybe: "And I'm sorry." _I'm sorry we didn't make it. I'm sorry I couldn't love you the way you are._

"Don't be." He looked at her with a soft look that made her remembered why they had always returned to each others' arms. She leaned towards him. "We had many good years together." In other circumstances, she would have kissed him, but the past tense of his statement felt liberating. She smiled and felt sober of his charm.

"We had many extremely stressful years together." He smiled back at her. 

"Shall we?" He gestured towards the dance floor. 

"I thought you were avoiding dancing with me."

"Nah, I was, just to irritate you so you wouldn't miss me too much." Maybe he just needed those eye rolls. 

They danced for a while without sharing words, using body language instead. Finding a new way of being with each other. Their bodies knew each other far too well. _I will miss you,_ his touches said. 

She leaned towards his ear and whispered. "I know, Tony." _I know you still love me. I know you gave me the house we were so happy because you can't think of being there without me._

She thought he would play innocent or crack some joke. But she got a small, embarrassed laugh. "Good. You should." And then, with a quieter, gentler voice. "I know, too." _I know that you love me, too, but our relationship was so fucked up right from the beginning with all that co-dependency._ "And thank You." _Thank you for walking beside me through all the hells I went through._

"Oh, thank _You_ , Tony." _Thank you for making me one of the richest and most powerful women in the world. Thank you for helping me grow into the person I am. Thank you for letting me grow strong and independent enough to let go of you, to let go of us._

"I'm not going anywhere, you know."

"You'd better not. You're gonna stay here and stand in for me as the CEO next week when I'm on honeymoon, right?" 

"Right. Hey, I promised? Have I ever not kept my promises?" He definitely needed those eye rolls. "Do you need some additional scandal to cover for your vacation?"

"No, Tony. No." It was lovely to see he could still make her a little startled. Just for, like, old times' sake. Besides, she would appreciate Phil more if he was a little shit sometimes. Just a little. It was like a mental gift.

"Oh, look, who is here." She turned her head and followed his gaze. 


	8. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She kissed him and drank from his glass, but took the Shirley Temple as well.

Darcy learned in Pepper's wedding party what meant to be a trophy wife. They had arrived late to avoid some of the fuzz, but people Darcy didn't know came to congratulate Tony, not her, not both of them. They looked at her like she was some kind of… stupid _thing_. Tony didn't bother introducing them. She should have said something snarky herself, but she had hesitated, because she had never seen him like this, playing social, instead of enjoying the social actions. It was easy for her to see the difference, to feel it in his body language when he held his arm around her. 

They escaped to the dance floor. Tony asked Jane to dance and she was horrified, but Thor ushered her and she went. So Darcy could dance with Thor, who loved showing off even more than Tony. 

Thanks to socially inept Jane, Darcy had her own invitation for Pepper's wedding. Pepper highly appreciated Jane and her research. And since Jane hated people she didn't know, and especially in parties and large crowds, Darcy was invited with her everywhere she went. Thor wasn't much help since he was grown to be a leader and he loved people, getting to know new people, large crowds, and loud parties. He loved Jane, but in this issue, he really didn't get her. So Darcy's was going to see that Jane was all right. In her own weddings, Darcy had delegated the duty to Natasha, who got easily along with everybody.

Tonight Darcy didn't have to sit on a corner sofa to keep Jane company. Natasha had introduced her to Wanda, who was very interested in Jane's research. Or maybe the young Avenger just liked company while staying in the quieter area. 

So Darcy could have fun on the dance floor. And in the bar. At some point in the evening, Tony brought her a non-alcoholic drink. 

"Who is the world's biggest hypocrite?" she said when she saw him holding a glass of whiskey. 

"Baby, you don't have tolerance." She kissed him and drank from his glass, but took the Shirley Temple as well. 

Okay, maybe she was _a little_ drunk when she was sitting in a toilet stall and heard a conversation outside. It took awhile to understand that those female voices, one of them sound familiar, were talking about _her_. 

"She is pregnant, isn't she? I mean why would have he married her otherwise?" Darcy sneaked out of the stall. 

"Well, I can see two reasons." A blonde was looking in the mirror and didn't see her. 

"Are those real? They can't be." Darcy was almost behind a brunette whose voice she almost recognized. 

"Yeah, they are. Wanna try?" She said and tapped the other woman's left elbow. The blond saw her first and looked horrified. The brunette turned around and looked so appalled that Darcy almost burst out laughing. Almost, because at that moment she got a terrible hiccup. And then she felt the puke coming. She _totally_ tried to turn towards the sink, but the world was spinning and she just took a hold on something she could reach, which happened to be the brunette - _Oh, from now on she was totally gonna believe Tony when he told her to stop drinking!_ \- and she threw up on the other woman!

The blond screamed. 

Darcy was shocked and offered to help the brunette to clean her dress - she said _No!_ \- when the door opened. 

Natasha Romanov walked in, dressed in her smoked orange bridesmaid's dress, but walking like she was on a mission, followed by two women who obviously belong to the security personnel. The blond hurried out of the room. 

Natasha didn't even shot a glance towards Darcy but walked straight to the brunette who was trying desperately to clean her dress. She put her left hand on the woman's elbow, and right hand on her head - and pull her hair. 

"Nice try, Christine." Natasha had a dark-haired wig in her hand! The brunette had been Christine Everhart in a wig! The gossip journalist looked shocked. One of the _oh far too hot_ security women found a waiter's dress form a corner stall. The other took a firm hold of Everhart's arm and lead her out.

Natasha held her necklace net to her mouth and mumbled something, then relaxed her elbows and looked at Darcy like she would look a lost kitten.

"Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?"

She nod. This wasn't the first time when she threw up drunk, she could protect her own dress. She added some lipstick and looked perfect. When she walked out of the room, she heard Natasha speaking to her necklace again.

"No excuses, Bruce. Get your ass here." "Other guests don't look so fresh either in this hour." "No, she's not mad at you. She wants to see you. She invited you!" "No, he's not angry at you either..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know this was going to happen when I started writing this today. 
> 
> It seems the story keeps going, always two chapters left.


	9. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil, Bruce, and Pepper.
> 
> Questions without answers (yet).
> 
> And some feelings, or maybe not.

Tony was having an awkward moment with Phil and Pepper, so Darcy saved him by asking Phil to dance. 

"I stopped a spy a moment ago."

"Yes, I heard. Good job." He said it like he was making fun of her! He obviously had heard all the details or seen them. They probably had cameras _everywhere_.

"I could be an excellent agent, you know?" She tilted her head and lowered her chin, which usually guided her male audience to look down on her tits. It was funny how automatic flirting was when being a little tipsy. Phil seemed unfazed and kept his eyes on her face. Weird guy. 

"Oh, really? How is that?" Phil was a too good dancer for such boring looking guy. 

"Because I am so good in bed." Either the Agent didn't see the logic or he had an excellent poker face. Both, probably. "You should thank _me_ for Tony still doing consulting for SHIELD." He still didn't get it. He clearly wasn't so bright everyone, including Tony, said him to be. "Tony thought I was sent by you to seduce him and make him redo the SHIELD contract." Maybe _Agent_ looked a bit amused. "So is _that_ a standard SHIELD procedure? And if it is, who educates your agents in seduction. You?" Finally, finally, she could see some color on Phil's cheeks!

"I'm sorry but the details of our training program are classified information." Darcy laughed in her mind so that she almost lost her balance. Damn heels! "Are you interested in a new job."

"Nah, I enjoy too much of my current one." 

"So you're going to stay in your assistant job?" He said it like he was really surprised. 

"Why wouldn't I?" Well, because her job _was_ quite boring. She had started to fantasize (and plan!) seducing Tony because she had been so bored in her job. The plan had succeeded better than she could have even fantasized, but now she faced a new problem! Her job was still boring and she needed a new goal. The agent held an awkward silence, so she had to continue. "Why would I apply something else? Jane couldn't do without me." Besides, she loved Jane. Well, not like _that_. Well, not _too much_ like that. She felt a sudden urge to open up about it all to Phil. Especially about all of those things which nobody else knew, not even Jane. She should tell Tony, though. She absolutely should. 

"You wouldn't have to _apply_ anything. You're Mrs. Stark. You can get any job you want, well, excluding the CEO, in SI."

"Oh, how do you know? Did Pepper say so?"

"No, but that's how these things work. Just decide what you want, the HR department will get you there." 

"I don't like how things work." Suddenly she felt a little upset. She didn't want to be treated differently because of her _connection_ with Tony. Like she couldn't make it on her own. "And I want to stay with Jane." She was just about to open up about her biggest secret, but she followed Phil's gaze towards the grand doors of the hall. 

Natasha walked in handling Bruce Banner on a rumpled suit by her side. Darcy left Phil on the dance floor and run (as well as she could with those stupid heels) towards them. She loved shy scientists and she had missed Bruce sooo much! 

"Where have you been, big guy?" She said when getting back on her feet after a bear hug she had given him. He looked a little lost.

"I was in Bombay and around India."

"Oh Bruce, why did you leave? What happened?" There had been all kind of rumors. That he had hulked out and just escaped. That Tony had forced him to leave, after finding out he had slept with Pepper. Or that Pepper had forced him to leave after finding out he had slept with Tony. None of them were true. 

"I thought I left a note." The man answered a little embarrassed. If he had hulked out, he couldn't have written a note. 

"Yes, you did. In the lab. _I'm sorry I had to go_ or something like that." Bruce looked sad and sorry. It made her a bit sad, too. Darcy knew when not to pressure. "Alright, Big Guy. You don't have to explain. We have just greatly missed you." She couldn't or even didn't want to hold back her flirty tone. Tony had told her during their short honeymoon many details about their past relationship. According to Tony Bruce was a Deity of Domination in bed. Of course, she would _love_ to have a demonstration now when the guy was here. Her husband had also assured that the three of them had been happy together and loved to share, so Bruce wouldn't have left because of a jealousy drama. 

Phil met Bruce with a firm handshake. "It's good to see you, Dr. Banner." 

"It's good to see you too, Agent Coulson, in so happy circumstances. I'm terribly sorry I'm late, my plane was postponed and my luggage went missing…"

"Oh, I heard. Don't worry. That you're here is the most important. _My wife_ is really keen on seeing you." Phil patted his shoulders and Bruce blushed a bit. The way Phil said the word _wife_ indicated, that he knew about the threesome as well. Or, like Tony said, _un ménage à trois._ "And thank you for sending me your research."

"I thought you might find it interesting." Bruce tried to sound casual but blushed a lot. 

"Which research?" Darcy wasn't just an airhead assistant, even though she loved to play as one for prejudiced idiots who underestimated her and women in general. She was interested in her work and what others did in her department. Or interesting scientists like Bruce, outside of it, too. Besides, the blushing factor. 

"Oh, just some unpublished stuff about…" But he didn't have time to finish when Tony jumped to the front of him. 

"Gosh, Bruce! Where have you been?" Bruce mumbled something for an answer when Tony held him in a tight hug. 

Pepper hugged him warmly, but more reserved style. Bruce looked even more ashamed. 

"I'm sorry that I left so abruptly, but I just had to… get away." 

"Don't worry about it, Bruce. You weren't our hostage." Bruce's face told that Pepper had nailed some of his past thoughts. "I'm glad you came. Are you going to stay?"

"Could I?"

"Of course! You're welcome to stay in the Tower as long as you like. Your apartment is waiting for you." Oh, Darcy had heard so many details of the dungeon he had in there. 

"And work for SI" Pepper added. "And of course free to leave when you feel like it." She added even faster.

"And now, when you still feel guilty for leaving, I can persuade you to dance with me." Darcy followed the interaction curiously. She hadn't seen him flirting with anyone else during their time together. Apparently some, or rather a diverse collection of _feelings_ started to appear. 

"Oh, Tony, please." Bruce looked bemused but happy. 

"C'mon, haven't you missed me?" Darcy felt a sudden urge to kiss Phil and make it a show, but she didn't dare because of Pepper. Bruce led Tony towards the dance floor and _her husband_ followed him like a touch starved lap dog. 

Darcy was _definitely not_ jealous, because she was so _above_ of feelings like that! But she had to remind herself, that she had crushes all the time on people around her. And that she liked Bruce, too, and would love to share their bed (yes, Tony's bed was their bed now) with him. But what she had seen between them was more than just sharing the bed, it was something that came between people when they spent time together and share many kinds of things. Ability to read each other's body languages, ability to know each other's thoughts and feelings. Intimacy. She had some of that with Jane. And Tony had it with Pepper, of which Darcy didn't mind at all. So _logically_ she shouldn't mind about Bruce either. She tried to fantasize about the two men in bed and felt better right away. 

"Would you like to dance with me, Mrs. Stark?" Oh, Pepper! 

"I would love to, Mrs. Coulson?" 

"No, I didn't change my name," she said laughing and lead Darcy to the dance floor. Pepper led the waltz. She danced like she did everything else like it was light and easy, but you could sense the hard determination and strict purposefulness behind every movement. That was far too hot, and Darcy felt far too drunk. Being around Pepper made Darcy always want to be on her best behavior! But she also wanted to know something that had bothered her since Tony had told about it. So she just _had to_ ask:

"Why didn't you ever marry Tony?"


	10. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are a player too, Pepper."

Pepper was taken aback by Darcy's question. 

"What do you mean?"

"Tony told me, that he had asked many times but you had always said no."

 _Yes, she had. The first time had been when they had spent their first night together. She hadn't taken it seriously, though she had believed he had meant it._

_He asked again when they had been together a year._

_"Tony asked me to marry him," she said to Phil, when they were having a dinner in a new fancy restaurant near the Malibu house, as_ friends _, of course. Phil had just gotten back from a mission. They hadn't seen each other in months and she had missed him a lot. She didn't have many friends and she hadn't ever befriended anybody so easily. But he was always so calm and understood all the craziness of her life. She_ loved _talking with him._

_"What did you say?"_

_"I said no." She almost laughed at his surprised, awed, look. Phil didn't usually let his emotions show but Pepper was learning to read him. Maybe he was shocked because he thought Tony would do something stupid again._

_"Oh, why? Don't you love him?"_

_"I do. I love him very much."_

_"You don't think he loves you?"_

_"Oh, he does. He loves me a lot. Sometimes I think, that he loves me too much." She thought often that maybe she loved him too much, too._

_"So, what's the reason for not marrying him, then?"_

_"The reason is…" She leaned forward and lowered her voice and gaze. She wasn't proud of this, but she had done the reasoning so many times, parts of it even before they had started to be together. "The reason is, that I know him. I mean, I know him well. I know he loves me and tries his best and he would be a wonderful husband…for a short time." Phil didn't say anything, he just encouraged her to continue. "I mean, I think the first years would be wonderful, he would spoil me all the ways he could." She looked dreamy. It was the first time when she let her feel this fantasy in front of somebody else. It felt strangely intimate. But Phil just smiled at her that warm smile. She got a bit sad and serious. "But I know the length of his attention span. I've seen all the abandoned projects in his workshop, which are left aside because he has turned into something more interesting." Phil looked questioning. "I know it's the same with women, too. " She continued even lower, sadder and more determinant voice. "Tony Stark is a player. He loves the chase. He loves me, and he loves many other things, and I know he sincerely wants to marry me and maybe even live monogamously. But I know that after some years I'd be a caught prey. An item in his collection. And he always wants to get more. We would end hating each other." She lifted her head and looked Phil straight into the eyes. "I love him and the only way I can keep him is that I'm gonna give him the chase his life. So I'm not gonna marry him and that's gonna break his heart, but I rather break his heart and save our relationship than marry him and destroy everything we have."_

_"You are a player too, Pepper." Was that a new kind of appreciation on his face. Or something else?_

_"I'm the CEO of Stark Industries. What else could I be?"_

_"You are so much more than your professional role." He almost took her hand in his, but then didn't. His comment echoed in her mind a long time. She should have asked what he meant by that, but it felt kind of stupid. She felt she should have understood._

_Tony asked her to marry him many times during the years. She never told him why she kept saying no. In time, it became a joke between them._

_When she had walked out of him, this time for good, she drove to Phil's apartment. She was old and stressed enough not to live without a man's love. Besides, after all those arguments with Tony, the genius hiding in his lab, she hadn't seen that kind so often lately. Phil held her tight and fucked her hard and slow and giving, and she could, for a while, forget all the stress. In the morning, when Phil made her breakfast, they talked about that evening in the new restaurant._

_"That day I knew, you would walk out of him, someday."_

_"Did you, how?"_

_"Because I knew you are not a player in your heart. You just adapted to survive. And now you don't have to survive anymore. Now you can ask what you really want."_

_"I want something equal and real, somebody I can trust and who will stand beside me." She looked at him, straight to his eyes. She knew many people found that intimidating._

_"I will be all that for you if you let me."_

_"I do. I mean, I will." He got the reference._

_He proposed her three weeks later._

"So why did you?" Darcy woke her from her thoughts. 

"Because I'm not you, and Tony and I are not compatible." No, she wasn't going to explain it further. Tony didn't need to know the reason, it would only increase his self-wrath. 

"You think me and Tony are compatible?" _Oh yes, indeed._ Darcy was young, always that 21 years younger than him, lively and flirty. She was a natural player, she would keep Tony on his toes, married or not. And she would never dedicate her life to him like Pepper had done, though she had been paid well and didn't regret _almost_ anything. But she didn't want to bring any of that up with Darcy. He wasn't her problem, not anymore. 

"Are you? What do you think?" She asked instead. And who knew, Darcy might break his heart, or maybe even the other way around. If she did, maybe Tony deserved it, as a karma from his irresponsible youth. But it was out of Pepper's hands. 

"You know, we got married just to redirect the media from your wedding?" She looked sheepish. 

"Are you sure, that it was his primary motive?" Pepper loved to see how that thought sunk in Darcy's mind. Maybe she could help _her_ a little. After all, Tony had 21 more years of experience.


	11. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter with some kissing and a discreet helicopter.

At midnight, Phil took Pepper in his arms and carried her bridal style outside. The guests followed them.

A helicopter was waiting for the newlywed. It was covered with bright lights blinking "just married", Steve inside, ready to pilot them to their secret destination. Pepper laughed and covered her eyes with the hand that didn't lie around her husband's shoulders. When she got her feet back on the ground in front of the copter, she looked at her bridesmaids and Clint the other best man, her security team. 

"Is this what you call discreet? Whose idea was this?"

"His." "Hers." Natasha and Clint said almost the same time, both smiling innocently, and pointing at each other. 

"Don't worry, your privacy and security will be guaranteed." Maria Hill said with her no-nonsense tone. 

Phil kissed Pepper's cheek and said something, too. Then he lifted her into his arms again, she waved goodbye to the guests and then he lifted her into the copter. He waved goodbye, too, then jumped in after his wife. 

The lights changed color from yellow to orange to red and pink when the copter left the ground. The guests cheered and looked at the show. Then, suddenly, the copter disappeared from sight! 

Darcy felt familiar hands around her waist and a tickling goatee against the back of her neck. "I developed the technology," Tony whispered her ear.

"Hello, stranger." She turned around and kissed him. Bruce and Wanda were lurking behind his back. Jane had found Thor and was kissing him ferociously. 

"We are leaving back to the Tower. Do you wanna join us or stay in the party…"

"… till the end and join our after-party later?" Natasha put one hand on Darcy's shoulder, another on Tony's. She turned her head and looked first at Darcy, then at Tony. 

The after-party sound interesting.

"You can go if you come to my place afterward," Tony said, caressing her chin. 

"Oh really, you think you can say what I can on cannot do?" She turned towards Natasha, "Yes, I'll join the after-party," and then to Tony, "and I'll go to sleep wherever I want to!" and then with a smaller voice: "I've got my own apartment, you know." He had told her moving in with him _was an option_ , but she had not said yes or no. 

"Well, in that case…" Tony caressed her back, held her against him and gave her lips soft, slowly deepening, alluring, burning kiss that she felt in her lower belly, too. Oh, _now_ she wanted to leave with him! But she didn't want to give him the pleasure (oh, she really wanted to give him pleasure!) to see how easy it was for him to get her follow his lead. Oh, she really wanted to, but not after he had acted like a possessive jerk! So she let her body respond with all the lust because she couldn't avoid it, but when their lips parted, she just (kissed him quickly again and) said:

"See you around, someday." Then she kissed him again, this time with time because she could and hell why not! 

"See you at work on Monday. You won't get a day off, no matter what your last name is." He had that intolerably charming winner's grin that made her want to drag him to the nearest soft place found and rip off his clothes. But then he had really _won_ (was there a competition somewhere?), so luckily Thor distracted her from making her fantasies into plans and action.

The big man clapped his palm on Darcy's shoulder. "Good to see you staying, Lady Stark! Join me on the dance floor, once again!" 

She did.


	12. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Pepper and Tony (at least part of it).

It was five in the morning when Darcy walked into Tony's private elevator in the garage floor one. She had joined the after-party with Natasha, Maria, Clint, Laura (Clint had a wife!), Thor and some agents of SHIELD (who really knew how to party!).

She could have gone home, too. Her own home. The little apartment where she had her old sofa, her own bed and the brand new coffee machine Tony had bought her after spending his first night there. And a huge panda bear Tony had given her as a birthday present. ("It's not huge, it's a medium size." "You almost didn't get it in through the door." "Yeah, that's why I didn't buy the large one.") But Tony had You in the kitchen to make them breakfast. 

Besides, she was still a little drunk and more than a little horny. Which was totally Tony's fault, or maybe those super hot SHIELD girls had something to do with it, too (she felt _super_ wet between her legs!), but she could blame Tony and _demand_ at least a helping hand. A generous man like him would give all he got, of course. 

He was still her occasional boyfriend, her friends with benefits friend and her boss who she loved to bang in his lab in the middle of the day. A legal husband was only one label more, not the most important one. Their marriage was just a joke, albeit a hilarious one! 

It would be hilarious too, to find him and Bruce in the middle of _action_. 

"Friday, could you please not to tell Tony I'm coming up. I'd like to surprise him."

Of course, she could just ask Friday where he was and with whom, but why spoil the fantasy before she had to.

The doors opened silently at the penthouse floor. Darcy had her shoes in her hand and she sneaked in like Black Widow. Tony was in the living room with Bruce, talking on the sofa ("Bruce don't, don't be sorry all the time!"). She saw the back of Bruce's head and heard them ("No, let me explain.") but they couldn't see her. She stayed standing still in the hall.

"The Other Guy felt trapped. He needed air, noise, people around him, seeing the sky… you would have seduced my brains and made me stay again."

"I did my best." Oh, she loved that low, slightly amused, _sexy_ tone. 

"I know. And I'm thankful for all this. For taking me in and not being afraid of me and sharing _everything_ …" Oh Bruce, don't see yourself as a monster because you're not!

"I recall you doing some sharing, too." A satisfied laugh from Bruce. Silence. Darcy considered entering but just then.. 

"What happened between you and Pepper?" … something juicier came up. Tony avoided the question when _she_ asked about it. 

"We burned out the passion and got tired of fighting." Compared to the rumors, that was such a boring explanation! 

"But I left less than a year ago, and then everything was fine!" 

"No, we were screwed right from the beginning. You made things better for a while." It was weird to hear Tony saying something with such a flat voice. 

"I knew it was my fault! If I hadn't left…" Oh Bruce, stop taking the blame for everything! 

"We would have wasted each other's time some more years and destroyed the good we still have." Darcy really wanted to caress that sadness away, but the shade of bitterness made her wary. She knew she didn't know him well and that he had a darker side he didn't show her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see that, either. 

"I still don't get it. When I heard her marrying Phil I thought _you_ would be with them. But then I read about you and Darcy. But you always said Pepper was perfect and that you were so happy that you got her."

Now Darcy saw the back of Tony's head, too. She heard him pouring something into a glass. Whiskey, probably. 

"She is perfect for ruling the world and I'm so happy she can do it with my tech and money. Cheers to that." Darcy saw them raising glasses, Bruce had a mug. "You still don't get what was wrong with it, do you?" 

"Uh?" 

Tony drank the whole glass in one swing and then poured another glass. "Don't worry, it took a long time for us to get it either." He took a long sup. "You know what they say about relationships? That if you haven't become aware of your childhood traumas, you'll end up repeating them. That's exactly how it 'worked' between me and Pep. She got somebody to take care of, I got somebody to whom I could continue failing to be good enough. We both thought it was love, because we were _trying_ so hard!" He took a break to drink, "And yes, I loved her, and in a way I still do, as a friend, but I'm glad we don't have to try anymore." 

"At least the sex was good," Bruce said with a laconic disappointment. Tony poured another glass. 

"We weren't that compatible." _What? Really?_ "It was better when you were with us." What about those legendary stories about Tony and Pepper having sex _daily_ in the office and a habit of fucking on the conference the table after weekly meetings? All Darcy's fantasies about them based on that kind of relationship! But maybe it didn't matter anymore if it was all over. Which was quite sad, actually.

Luckily they still had Bruce. 

Darcy walked silently back to the door, let her shoes drop to the floor and yelled: "Hellooo! Anybody home?" 

Tony rose and walked to her. He had lost his jacket and tie and looked hot as ever. He took her in his arms and carried her to the sofa. "Look who I found," he said to Bruce like he was very happy and proud of her (weird guy, really!), then turned to her, playfully "Weren't you supposed to go your apartment?"

"This _is_ my apartment." She was on his lap, her hands under his undershirt. She was kissing, then licking his collarbone. 

"See what I told you: She's hot, horny and possessive."

"Yeah," Bruce rose. "See you on Monday."

"Monday? No. Lunch, tomorrow, I mean today, afternoon."

"Sure." 

Darcy realized Bruce was leaving! 

"Hey, don't go! When do you spank me and show me how amazing dom you are?"

"See why I married her?"

"I start to see. Sometimes when you are sober and I've talked to you about your preferences and boundaries first."

"Bruce has a very elaborate seven pages form for that."

"What?"

"A BDSM preferences list. First, you fill it, then we'll discuss it. After that, I plan how to play with you and then I'll play with you."

"Really? That's a more detailed process than getting a job at Stark Industries!" 

"I'm an excellent dom because I do my homework." His voice was stern but had some pride that was rare for Bruce, and a hint of amusement, too. Darcy felt that she had succeeded cheering him up. 

Now she just had to cheer Tony up, though he seemed much cheered and very _up_. She sat on his lap, her thighs around still clad his and opened his belt. His hands traveled up from her feet towards her waist. At some point, they stopped. He looked amused. 

"Where, _my beloved wife_ , are your tights and panties?"


	13. Darcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Tony talk about the future.

They were in bed. Tony had given her a hand, and mouth and dick, and she was _seriously_ satisfied (her panties and stockings had been in her purse after she had _accidentally_ sat on Maria's drink, thank you for asking). But she still couldn't sleep, too much adrenalin after partying all night long. And something Pepper had said kept coming into her mind... Tony didn't sleep either, he was just keeping her company, waiting for her to doze off (they both loved watching each others' sleep), and writing some code in bed with a silent hologram keyboard and a hologram screen.

She nuzzled closer, let her head rest on his chest. When he gave her an eye contact, she asked:

"Tony, are you serious... about us?" 

"Yeah, I am serious." He smiled and said it like it was nothing special. Darcy thought about it for awhile. 

"And.. what does that mean?" How could she know? She had never been in a serious relationship. 

"It means I take your well-being seriously, also in long-term." Well, he certainly had done that. More ways than one. From taking care of her well being in bed to the outside of it. Money and gifts were one thing. When she had stayed in the penthouse, he had bought her a new set of clothes (perfect size and her style) delivered so that she didn't have to go home in the morning to change ("I didn't buy them, my personal shopper did."), to that ridiculous marriage contract, which made her a rich woman stayed she in the marriage or not ("C'mon, that's peanuts. Smaller amount would be an insult.") Taking care of her small but special ways was another. Like bringing her lemoned water when she had a hangover. Or stopping the coding he was doing to pet her hair and ask serious questions when he saw she had something in her mind. All that sweetness was almost intolerable! 

He finished a line of code and looked at her again: "But what about you, are you serious about us?"

"I don't know." She was, but she couldn't say it. That was too much seriousness at once! Yet she kind of wanted to take the challenge and take this seriously too, but... "I mean, I haven't been in a serious relationship before. I don't know how it should be." He seemed to know. He was too good at playing this relationship game and she didn't like to lose. But she didn't even know the rules! 

"Nothing 'should be'. We can have a relationship we want."

"I don't know what I want." Okay, _that_ sound stupid. But what if she would take him seriously and then she'd really really really fall in love and then he'd leave her! And she had already learned that if she told him she wanted something, he just wanted to give it to her right away. But not all wants were 'I want this right now' but rather 'I want to think about wanting this to know it I really want it' kind. But explain that to a billionaire who has always been able to have everything! 

"Oh, it's okay. You don't have to know." He curled his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. A wicked voice inside her head said that he had already planned her future and was going to guide (manipulate!) her through it. A more trusting part of her answered that he had never shown that kind of tendencies (Oh, you just haven't noticed!), but instead been more thoughtful and considering for her needs than she could have imagined. But what Pepper had implied when she was dancing with her… 

"Did you marry me for some other reason, too?"

"Well… I've always wanted that wedding in Las Vegas and I like stable _-ish_ relationships, too, so why not." He didn't look at her but the floating screen in front of him. Darcy added 'likes stable _-ish_ relationships' to her mental list of 'things about Tony Stark that are completely opposite to what is said about him'. 

"Why me? I mean… you could get _anyone_." He smiled a bit and she both loved and hated pampering his ego. 

"You came to my lab and seduced my cameras. And now you ask why I married you." Oh, finally the lighter tone she adored. 

"So all you need is a striptease. You're an easy man, Tony Stak."

"A strip tease _in my lab_."

"So?"

"How many people have access to my lab?"

"I don't know. Maybe five."

"For a good reason! Otherwise, it would be full of women stripping on my workbench. That would be…distracting." He faced her again and tickled the skin behind her ear. 

"But billionaires don't usually _marry_ lab assistants who seduce them." She wasn't supposed to sound whining and unsure of herself but _maybe_ she did since he waved the keyboard and screen away (they just disappeared in the air!) and drew her into his lap. 

"And good trophy-wives don't usually read the shit gossip magazines write about them. For a good reason." He continued softly and uncharacteristically slowly: "I married you, not only because you're a perfect combination of multidimensional hotness, but also because you are loyal, right-minded and more intelligent than you let people believe, but you don't fool me, and you know how to really have fun. And you were there then and you are here now." She felt a soft kiss on the back of her head. 

That sound good, but… 

"But you haven't planned my future as the mother of your children, have you?" She turned around, she had to see his face! 

"Sorry, Baby, I can't have biological children, so if you want them, we must find a sperm donator." Oh, she loved that thing he did with her hair. 

"That would be okay with you?" Didn't _any_ man want _their own_ biological children? 

"Well, actually, I already asked Steve. With that serum's effect on his genetics, he is practically Stark Tech! And he said yes."

"So you _have_ planned this out without asking me!" She just needed something to be irritated at him because all of this would be far too intolerably sweet otherwise! 

"It's not a plan, it's _an option_." He looked like he saw right through her little show and laughed at her! "And it's totally up to you." 

"I don't know." She sat and looked at her, looking serious. "I mean I don't really know…" She pointed at him, at the circular scar on his chest."…you." Girls had always been warned about mysterious older men. That was, of course, the reason they were interesting, too. "You could be a mass murderer or something." She knew it sound stupid, but she said it anyway. 

Tony facepalmed with both hands. "Have you _ever_ heard about the company history? Do you know what I did for a living when I was in your age?"

"Oh come on, you could compete with Bruce who takes the biggest blame for others' actions! Did you _personally_ do the killing with the weapons you designed?"

"Do you think IronMan never killed anyone? All those missions for destroying the StarkTech from terrorists! You think I could do that without killing people on the go?" It was really weird to hear Tony self-loathing. Usually, he was so proud of himself no matter what he had done. She wanted so much to comfort him! 

"It's a murder only if you know the name of the victim," Darcy reasoned. She waited for him to say something like 'oh, then I've never killed anyone', but he looked more haunted instead and held his hand on his chest, breathing like having trouble getting air in. _Shit!_

Darcy had often felt, that her life with Tony was living in a fairytale. Cinderella, of course, she was very aware of the class difference, even though Tony purposefully _didn't_ make a fuss of it. But sometimes he looked for a quickly passing moment, like a sly wolf of older, darker story. And she had that little, probably stupid but as well exciting and fear, that he was Bluebeard instead of a Disney prince. And someday she would find out something that was going to make all the fun and safety she felt with him, disappear. And now she was on the door of the forbidden room! Except he hadn't forbidden her anything. So she asked (of course she had to ask!):

"Did you and Pepper kill Obadiah Stane?" It was a stupid gossip she didn't believe. But her life had been surrounded by unbelievable things during the last years, so… 

He just nodded, holding his chest, looking incapable to speak. She was more worry about him than scared of him. She sat next to him and took his hands in hers. 

"Tony, breathe. Please." 

"I am breathing," he said, not breathing well at all. "It was a duel with suits. He had tried to kill me twice before, paid for my death in Afghanistan." Darcy listened quietly when Tony told her the whole story. The story itself made her shiver, but seeing him so stressed was even worse. Instead of being funny and energetic, like she had used seeing him, he looked haunted and breathed unevenly like he had to constantly remember how to do it. She wasn't surprised that he had survived through it all, he was a genius, so inventing a new energy source in a cave or finding a cure for palladium poisoning weren't so big deal, but it was amazing how much he had been able to keep secret from the media. 

After finishing the story, he lied on his back covering his eyes with one arm, resting another on his chest and just breathing deeply for some time. She had never seen him so broken. She didn't know what to do. 

He uncovered his eyes and smiled to her. "So, is there anything else you wanted to know?" 

She needed to change the subject, so she blurted out the most unbelievable rumor she had heard of them: "Is Pepper a mutant who can explode things around her by her will?" Because _that_ was the funniest, most stupid rumor ever! In addition of being totally unreal, it was _totally_ Tony Stark, _exploding things_ , right? Who could _believe_ that?

He didn't laugh like she had hoped. Instead, he turned white, breathed like he was chocking and said with a _totally_ weird, high-pitched voice: "Where did you hear that?"

"What? C'mon…" He didn't grin and say 'Gotya fool!' _Shit._ "No, really?"

"An enemy of mine tried to murder her by injecting a virus that had killed most people infected. She survived, but was left with certain… abilities."

"Like?" She laid down next to him. 

"File: sh-pe-9-16-cd" He waved his hand and a screen descended from the ceiling. He looked at her and said with a stern but otherwise normal voice that failed to cover all of his enthusiasm: "This is _extremely_ confidential information." 

On the film, Natasha cut Pepper's arm and the wound healed in seconds. Pepper bent a metallic fork with her hands. She put her hand in a boiled water - then in a hot liquid metal - and stayed unwounded both times. Natasha burned her with a flamethrower and she just smiled victoriously. But she didn't explode anything. Anyhow, Darcy was fascinated. 

"Amazing!" She rose and sat on his waist, tilted her head and lifted his hands around her tits."Can I have those abilities, too?" 

She had never seen Tony regretting anything before, but now she could see the feeling in his face. "No." 

"Why not?" Wasn't she the spoiled girlf-- _wife_ of a billionaire and could have _everything_ she wanted? Besides, how could he resist her on _this_ position? 

He was playing with her tits, but they didn't do the magic. "Because it's not safe enough." On the contrary, now he seemed even more concerned about her precious body. 

"Hypocrite." Oh, that was her favorite word for scolding him. "Was flying into the wormhole with a nuclear bomb safe enough?" 

"No, but it was for the common good."

"I should have superpowers for the common good." She tried to look cute and harmless, but he just rolled his eyes at him. She decided that _that_ kind of eye roll meant very special intimacy and love. 

He rolled her down next to him. "You should shut up for your own good and get to sleep now, or do I have to take the cuffs and tie you in?" An alluring offer, but she wanted to hug him instead. 

"Nah, I'll be good." He curled her arms around his neck and let her head rest on his shoulder. She made a mental note to find out more about the mysterious virus and if the experiments were made by Stark Industries… well, she was a Stark and it was her body. Her happily oblivious husband held her closer and patted her hair with another hand. 

They lied silently for a moment. A very short moment, though. She could, but wouldn't do it behind his back. 

"Think about how _safe_ I would be if I was invulnerable…" she almost whispered. 

"I'll think about it," Tony answered with a low murmuring voice that maybe tried to be serious and intimidating but sounded a cute purring bear instead. Darcy kissed his nipple as a thank you. 

She still couldn't sleep, though. He seemed nervous, too. His body was stiff and his heart beat faster than usual. She caught his eyes and curled her arm around his chest. If he had been thinking about leaving the bed, he changed his mind, curled his arms around her and relaxed. Which was a perfect moment to ask:

"How you and Pepper were sexually incompatible?" She shouldn't have loved the way his body jerked. 

"You were listening, weren't you?" She nodded eagerly and smiled like a stupid doll. "You know what happens to young women who are too curious for their own good?" He wasn't really threatening or mad at her but tried to hide his amusement. She could see through his games, too!

"They marry billionaires…" She tried to roll herself on him again… "who let them have unsafe superpowers?" …but he pinned her down instead. She thought he was going to get the handcuffs, but he tickled her instead. _That_ was unfair game! 

When she had stopped laughing and jerking and got some breath, he held her tight against the mattress and rested his head between her breasts. It was his favorite position for taking power naps. 

"So you rather _sleep_ than answer my question." She didn't expect him to tell her, but... 

"I wasn't suitable dom for her." _What?_ it was impossible to think that Tony wouldn't be a good dom, because he was the perfect dom, but even more weird was that...

"Pepper is _a sub_?" 

"That's the role she prefers." Now it was Darcy's turn to turn stiff. 

"No! In my fantasies she is perfect, demanding, disciplining domme!"

"You can still have your fantasies." Tony adjusted himself and caressed her breast on the way. 

"But… no." She was so sad she could almost cry. He caressed her more and said softly: 

"Hey, she prefers subbing, but _can do_ the dominant role, too." She caressed his hair back. 

"Could you…" Suddenly it wasn't so easy to ask something of him.

"Yes, I could inform her that if she ever needs _an obedient_ female sub, you'd love to play with her. But you really have to obey, because she won't like brats." 

"Yes, I will," she felt the joy bubbling from her and she almost laughed again. "Thank you." He felt the trembling of her upper body and moved his head lower, on her belly. "And I really really really love you so much." 

"I know." She continued playing with his hair and let her hands wander on his shoulders. She loved that amused, relaxed Tony. 

"And I want to be with you, _seriously_."

"Mmm." She could hear his wide smile. She listened to his slow, deep breathing and let him fall asleep before whispering: 

"And I want Steve's baby if it's a superbaby." 

"I heard that," he murmured and licked her belly. 

The dawn was breaking outside. It was going to be a rainy day. A perfect one for staying in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it, the end of this story. 
> 
> I wrote this for exploring the end of Tony's and Pepper's relationship (because of no matter how much I love the pairing, I feel they don't match well after all that's happened) and how Darcy and Tony would fit together. I wanted to write a mature Tony who has learned from his mistakes, but who still has this boyish playfulness, and who sometimes has to take the role of the responsible one with young and somehow naive but brave and assertive Darcy, who can match his wilder side. The side Pepper didn't like and never really understood. 
> 
> I planned this to be something like four or five chapters, balanced with Tony and Pepper (and probably with Phil and Pepper) and Tony and Darcy, but then Darcy came and just stole the whole show. I really enjoyed writing her. 
> 
> I hope you had at least as much fun reading as I had writing this story. Thank you for all the kudos' and comments that encouraged me to go on (and I still appreciate them, of course).

**Author's Note:**

> This was the reason I started this fic, for letting Pepper and Tony sort out their relationship. But then Darcy and Tony came and stole the story. And now they have one more relationship to sort out!


End file.
